The present invention discloses a method of time synchronization and a base station system. The base station system includes a main unit, at least one radio unit, and a transmission medium adapted to transmit information between the main unit and the at least one radio unit. The base station system further includes a clock synchronization server configured close to the side of the at least one radio unit or integrated with the at least one radio unit. The clock synchronization server is adapted to transmit synchronization data to the main unit through the transmission medium, so that the main unit performs configuration processing according to the synchronization data to implement time synchronization with the clock synchronization server.
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1. A base station system, comprising: a main unit, at least one radio unit, an optical fiber configured to transmit information between the main unit and the at least one radio unit, wherein the main unit is configured to receive a first synchronization data from a clock synchronization server through the optical fiber and perform configuration processing according to the first synchronization data to implement time synchronization with the clock synchronization server, the base station system further comprises a first optical adapter module coupled to the at least one radio unit and the clock synchronization server, the first optical adapter module includes a first optical fiber interface coupled to the optical fiber, the first optical adapter module is configured to converge the first synchronization data and a first service data from the at least one radio unit, and transmit the converged first synchronization data and first service data through the first optical fiber interface, and the first optical adapter module is configured close to the side of the at least one radio unit or integrated with the at least one radio unit.
A base station system uses optical fiber to transmit data between a main unit and one or more radio units. A clock synchronization server provides timing data to the main unit via the optical fiber. A first optical adapter module (integrated with or near the radio unit) merges synchronization data and service data (normal radio communications) from the radio unit before sending the combined data over the optical fiber. The main unit uses the synchronization data to achieve time synchronization with the clock synchronization server. The optical adapter module has an optical fiber interface.
2. The base station system according to claim 1 , wherein the base station system further comprises a second optical adapter module, the second optical adapter module is coupled to the main unit and configured close to a side of the main unit or integrated with the main unit, the second optical adapter module comprises a second optical fiber interface, and the second optical fiber interface and the first optical fiber interface of the first optical adapter module are connected through the optical fiber.
The base station system from the previous description includes a second optical adapter module. This second module sits close to, or is integrated with, the main unit. This second module has a second optical fiber interface that connects to the first optical adapter module's optical fiber interface via the optical fiber. The first optical adapter module is coupled to the radio unit and clock synchronization server.
3. The base station system according to claim 2 , wherein the second optical adapter module is configured to receive the converged first synchronization data and first service data through the second optical fiber interface, split the converged first synchronization data and first service data, and transmit the split first synchronization data and the split first service data to the main unit.
The base station system builds upon the previous description by having the second optical adapter module (near the main unit) receive the combined synchronization and service data through its optical fiber interface. It then separates (splits) the two data streams and sends them separately to the main unit. The first optical adapter module is coupled to the radio unit and clock synchronization server, while the second optical adapter module is coupled to the main unit.
4. The base station system according to claim 3 , wherein the second optical adapter module is further configured to converge a second synchronization data and a second service data from the main unit, and transmit the converged second synchronization data and second service data through the second optical fiber interface.
Expanding on the previous base station configuration, the second optical adapter module not only splits incoming data but also combines outgoing data. It merges synchronization data and service data coming *from* the main unit into a single stream and transmits the combined stream through its optical fiber interface. The first optical adapter module is coupled to the radio unit and clock synchronization server, while the second optical adapter module is coupled to the main unit.
5. The base station system according to claim 4 , wherein the main unit comprises at least one baseband unit (BBU), the at least one BBU comprises a baseband radio frequency interface and a synchronization interface coupled to the second optical adapter module, the baseband radio frequency interface is configured to transmit the second service data and receive the first service data, and the synchronization interface is configured to transmit the second synchronization data, and receive the first synchronization data.
In the base station system with two optical adapter modules and data converging/splitting, the main unit includes one or more baseband units (BBUs). Each BBU has a radio frequency interface for service data (receiving from, sending to the radio unit) and a synchronization interface connected to the second optical adapter module. The synchronization interface transmits synchronization data from the BBU and receives synchronization data from the clock synchronization server via the adapter module and optical fiber.
6. The base station system according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one baseband unit BBU comprises at least two BBUs, the main unit further comprises at least one transfer switch coupled between the second optical adapter module and the at least two BBUs, and the at least one transfer switch is configured to transmit the first synchronization data to the at least two BBUs from the clock synchronization server, and receive the second synchronization data from the at least two BBUs.
In a base station system as described, the main unit uses two or more baseband units (BBUs). A transfer switch sits between the second optical adapter module (connected to the optical fiber) and the BBUs. The switch distributes synchronization data from the clock synchronization server to all BBUs and collects synchronization data from each BBU, sending it back through the optical adapter module.
7. The base station system according to claim 2 , wherein the first optical adapter module and the second optical adapter module are optical add-drop multiplexers (OADMs).
In the described base station system utilizing two optical adapter modules, the first optical adapter module (near the radio unit) and the second optical adapter module (near the main unit) are Optical Add-Drop Multiplexers (OADMs). These OADMs combine and separate data streams on the optical fiber.
8. The base station system according to claim 1 , wherein the first optical adapter module is an OADM.
In the base station system for time synchronization, the first optical adapter module (located near the radio unit) is an Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer (OADM). This OADM manages the merging of synchronization and service data onto the optical fiber connecting the radio unit to the main unit.
9. A method for time synchronization, comprising: receiving, by a main unit, a first synchronization data from a clock synchronization server through a an optical fiber between the clock synchronization server and the main unit; performing, by the main unit, configuration processing according to the first synchronization data to implement time synchronization with the clock synchronization server; transmitting, by at least one radio unit, a first service data to the main unit through the optical fiber; wherein the first service data and the first synchronization data are transmitted to a first optical adapter module coupled to the at least one radio unit and the clock synchronization server, and converged by the first optical adapter module; and wherein the converged first service data and first synchronization data are transmitted by the first optical adapter module through the optical fiber.
A time synchronization method involves the main unit receiving synchronization data from a clock synchronization server via optical fiber. The main unit processes this data to synchronize its time with the server. The radio unit transmits service data to the main unit over the same optical fiber. A first optical adapter module combines the service data from the radio unit and synchronization data from the synchronization server for transmission over the optical fiber.
10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the converged first service data and the first synchronization data are transmitted by the first optical adapter module to a second optical adapter module through the optical fiber, and wherein the second optical adapter module is coupled to the main unit.
The time synchronization method from the previous description includes a second optical adapter module. The combined service and synchronization data passes from the first optical adapter module (near the radio unit) through the optical fiber to this second optical adapter module, which is connected to the main unit.
11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the converged first service data and first synchronization data is split by the second optical adapter module, and the split first synchronization data and the split first service data is transmitted to the main unit by the second optical adapter module.
In the time synchronization method, the second optical adapter module receives the combined data and separates (splits) the synchronization data from the service data. It then sends each data stream separately to the main unit. The first optical adapter module is coupled to the radio unit and clock synchronization server, while the second optical adapter module is coupled to the main unit.
12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein a second synchronization data and a second service data from the main unit is converged by the second optical adapter module, and the converged second synchronization data and second service data is transmitted by the second optical adapter module through the optical fiber.
In the time synchronization method using two optical adapter modules, the second module also works in reverse. It combines synchronization data and service data originating from the main unit into a single data stream for transmission over the optical fiber. The first optical adapter module is coupled to the radio unit and clock synchronization server, while the second optical adapter module is coupled to the main unit.
13. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the main unit comprises at least one baseband unit, BBU.
The time synchronization method, which uses synchronization data over fiber optic between the main unit and clock synchronization server, and merges data using optical adapters, operates on a main unit that contains at least one baseband unit (BBU).
14. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the first optical adapter module is an optical add-drop multiplexer, OADM.
In the time synchronization method utilizing optical fiber and data merging, the first optical adapter module (located near the radio unit) is an Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer (OADM).
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April 29, 2016
July 25, 2017
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